Tyrol & Vorarlberg - Austria - page 712

Information
The town centre sits on the northern bank of the Ill River. The tourist office ( 636 217 90;
www.bludenz.travel ; Werdenbergerstrasse 42; 7.30am-noon & 2-5.30pm Mon-Thu, 7.30am-noon Fri) is five
minutes' walk from the train station and has free internet access.
Getting There & Away
The A14 motorway passes just south of the Ill River and the town centre. Buses run
down all five valleys around Bludenz.
Bludenz is on the east-west InterCity express rail route to Innsbruck (€24.70, 1¾,
every two hours) and Bregenz (€12, 45 minutes, hourly).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Montafon
POP 16,544
The Montafon's pristine wilderness and potent schnapps had Ernest Hemingway in rap-
tures when he wintered here in 1925 and 1926, skiing in blissful solitude and penning
The Sun Also Rises . Silhouetted by the glaciated Silvretta range and crowned by the
3312m arrow of Piz Buin, the valley remains one of the most serene and unspoilt in the
Austrian Alps.
Partenen marks the start of the serpentine 23km Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse ( www.silvretta-bieler-
hoehe.at ; car/motorcycle €14/11; Jun-Oct) , which wends its way under peaks rising to well over
2500m before climbing over the 2036m Bielerhöhe Pass via a series of tight switchbacks.
At the top of the pass is the Silvretta Stausee (2030m), a startlingly aquamarine reservoir,
which mirrors the snowcapped peaks of Piz Buin and Klostertaler Egghorn on bright
mornings.
Activities
Mile upon glorious mile of alpine trails, including the Radsattel Circuit, attract hikers in
summer. Cable cars and lifts can be accessed with the regional Montafon- Silvretta -Card (3-/
7-day €41/55) .